Conflict archaeology from Vercingetorix to Varus. New perspectives on the Roman wars of conquest

Conference item

This paper provides an introduction to recent advances in the archaeology of the Roman conquest for the period roughly dating between Vercingetorix and Varus. We discuss different avenues of approach in terms of sources of evidence and methodologies for their study. Our particular emphasis is on the impact of the Roman wars of conquest on the indigenous populations that were forcibly incorporated into the Roman state. This is exemplified by a number of selected case studies that relate to different sorts of material evidence: massacre deposits (Kessel-Lith); destruction of indigenous strongholds (Monte Bernorio); demographic impact (regional settlement patterns in northern Gaul); looting of indigenous wealth (coin circulation in northern Gaul); and destruction of Roman sites as a result of failed conquest attempts (Waldgirmes). The results illustrate the significant potential of archaeology to contribute to a more holistic understanding of the Roman expansion and its impacts on local populations.

Authors: Fernández-Götz, M; Roymans, N

• Publication status: Accepted
• Peer review status: Peer reviewed
• Publisher: Archäologischer Dienst Graubünden
• Series: Archäologie Graubünden
• Acceptance date: 2025-11-28
• Event title: From Vercingetorix to Varus: Detailed Chronology of Military Conflicts at the Transition from the Late La Tène to the Roman Imperial Period
• Event location: Savognin, Switzerland
• Event start date: 2024-09-18
• Event end date: 2024-09-22
• Language: English
• Keywords: conflict archaeology; Roman conquest; massacres; battlefields; settlement patterns